Microsoft president Brad Smith has some regrets over the long battle with the U.K. to get approval for the company’s now-closed acquisition of Activision Blizzard.
Speaking on BBC Radio 4 Today, Smith reflected on Microsoft’s efforts to appease the Competition and Markets Authority (CMA)’s anti-competition concerns over the deal, particularly concerning cloud gaming. When the CMA initially blocked the acquisition last April, Smith had said Microsoft’s confidence in the UK was “severely shaken” over the market’s “flawed understanding” of cloud technology. He also said this decision made the European Union a more attractive place to do business.
Now, however, Smith acknowledges the CMA was “tough and fair” in its negotiations. “I think the CMA vindicated its position but still created a pragmatic path forward for innovation and investment. I think that is good for everyone.”
He added that he “wouldn’t step back necessarily from all of the concerns I raised when I talked way back in April, but I might choose slightly different words to make my point.”
Ultimately, Microsoft was able to get the deal approved by striking deals with other companies, including licensing Call of Duty for 10 years to competitors PlayStation and Nintendo and divesting the streaming rights of Activision Blizzard titles to Ubisoft for 15 years.
The deal was officially closed on October 13th, meaning Microsoft now owns the likes of Call of Duty, World of Warcraft, Diablo, Candy Crush and Crash Bandicoot. Microsoft says it plans to start bringing some of these games to its Game Pass subscription service this year.
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